Death Valley Off-Road Adventures

Great, we will be dispersed camping every night so I think we should be able to avoid the crowds.

Were there any issues with getting gas? I heard sometimes the gas stations run out.

 

Kind if a bummer to hear Mahogany was that busy but it doesn't have that many spots to begin with.

 

Are the hot springs still closed? Might do a mini trip to DV coming from the north entrance.

 

Hot springs have been open for quite a while.

 

good choice of whiskey.

 

Thanks Brother, gotta stay warm without a fire somehow.
Cheers

 

Hmmm Might take 395 all the way down to DV, Any spots I should stop by? I have Laurel lake and wild willy hot springs in mind.

 

Laurel Lakes is closed via a FS order from washouts that occurred in July. They won't be able to repair it until spring 2022.

 

thanks for the update!

 

Anyone have a gps pins or tracks for back country camping spots? Would love to go for the thanksgiving week! Any help or tips appreciated!

 

Plenty of places shared here in this thread. If you're not familiar with the park it is a good idea to get a DV map. There are lots of options for first time trips. I'd even recommend any of the listed campgrounds/campsites published by the NPS.
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/camping.htm
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/backcamp.htm

 

Thanks bud. I have been there a couple times, probably should have mentioned it. The listed campgrounds/sites are pretty much booked for the week of Thanksgiving. I also didn't have a truck back then so now I wanted to check the primitive campsites. I have this pdf map open -> https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/upload/508-Backcountry-and-Wilderness-Access-map_.pdf

A map sounds good. Just a little confused with the map since it says to park your car and hike a ways a way, i've done that kind of backcountry camping at joshua tree for example but I have seen several photos of folks here with sites. I'll search this thread a bit more.

 

Get the NatGeo map to supplement the NPS map. The rules in DV are pretty straight forward and not all campgrounds/campsites are by reservation only. Wildrose and Thorndike are easy to get to and first come first serve and I think Thorndike is free.

 

I stayed at Saline Valley last night and I’m a bit up Whitney Portal Rd from Lone Pine tonight. Light breeze but clear and sunny. My first time at SV under a (almost) full moon; amazing!! The Springs were pretty busy but a quiet and respectful crowd. My luck is holding South Pass seemed rougher than normal going in; and North Pass coming out was better than usual, but (true confessions) I was in our new van, not my Taco. Longer wheelbase and heavier weight helped in some places, but having all your possessions rattling around behind you, instead of in a separate bed, encourages you to slow down.

 

I believe Thorndike and Mahogany is closed in the fall and winter though.

 

I agree that some of the requirements seem confusing. The reality is that if are on one of the dirt roads that is NOT a “day use” road as listed at the upper right of the Park pdf you linked, you’ll find many little spurs with previously disturbed camp sites. Use those and you’re good; don’t drive off those well-used spurs or create fire rings. Or on the map on the second page, any dirt road outside the yellow zones. Lake Hill Rd north of 190, the area south of Darwin Falls toward Darwin, the area around Surprise Canyon, anything of Saline Valley Rd are easy to get to and not very busy. Those are outside the valley itself but still in the park, and tend to be less crowded.

 

^^ Also this site is mostly about roads but often mentions camping restrictions
https://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/standard-road-conditions.htm#maintainedroads

 

anyone planning any winter trips to DV? I would love to link up with some DV vets and tag along. I am about 5 hours away just north.

 

Yeah that road was a disaster in July...



It was closed when I got back down.

 

Might do a run on Thanksgiving week. But we usually do the the tourist stuff HAHAHA